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MIAMI, Fla. - Police say a man who allegedly confessed to two separate murders in Florida may have been "targeting the elderly, gay community."
Miami area police departments gave updates on the case at a news conference held Friday, Feb. 21.
Hungarian national Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, is charged with second-degree murder of the two disabled males in the cases.
What led to the arrest of Zsolt Zsolyomi?
The backstory:
Zsolyomi is first accused of a murder dating back to Nov. 21, 2024, when a man was found dead in his Miami Beach apartment after family members repeatedly tried to reach him, an arrest warrant shows.
Officials said they discovered the man unresponsive with his head and upper body partially submerged in the bathtub with water. The medical examiner later ruled the man died by strangulation.
The man that was killed was identified as a 66-year-old Carlos Alonso Villaquiran, and police said they discovered he was in an intimate relationship with Zsolyomi, who went by the fictitious name "Thomas."
Reports show detectives found text conversations, pictures of the two together, and doorbell camera footage of the pair entering and leaving the apartment.
Officers said text conversations also revealed Villaquiran had accused Zsolyomi of beating and stealing from him, as well as sent a photo of his injured eye.
Although Zsolyomi first denied beating Villaquiran, he then told police: "Sometimes I don't know what I do when I'm drunk" and that he apologized several times.
Villaquiran had threatened to call the police on Zsolyomi if he didn't return his stolen property, and Villaquiran revealed that he knew Zsolyomi's real name, date of birth and jail number.
Police say security cameras caught Zsolyomi entering and leaving the apartment the night before Villaquiran’s body was found inside.
Hungarian national Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, is charged with the second-degree murder of two elderly men in Florida, police say. (Credit: Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Center)
According to an arrest warrant, the second man was found dead on Jan. 19 near Northwest 14th Avenue and Second Street in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami.
The man was found in the driver's seat of a car with both front seatbelts around his neck.
Investigators said the man had sustained trauma and concluded his manner of death as a homicide.
Police later identified the man as 71-year-old Rodolfo Fernandez de Velasco.
Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said they discovered the incident was not an accident, and that an individual had been in the car and strangled Velasco before then staging the car crash in an attempt to cover up the homicide.
Surveillance cameras in the area were able to capture the crash crashing into a fence, as well as document a man jumping out of the car and running away, according to an arrest warrant.
Detectives said they later matched fingerprints from the car to Zsolyomi.
Reports show Zsolyomi was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Hungarian national Zsolt Zsolyomi was previously arrested for robbery in July 2024 in Miami Beach. (Credit: Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Center)
Who is Zsolt Zsolyomi?
What we know:
Zsolyomi is a Hungarian national currently listed as an illegal overstay by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to official reports.
Police said he wore an ankle monitor after he was released from custody from a robbery arrest in July 2024 in Miami Beach.
The robbery arrest warrant said that Zsolyomi told police his name was "Thomas Kray" at the time.
‘Had he not been caught, he would’ve done this again and again and again’
What they're saying:
"Our detectives conducted a comprehensive investigation in partnership with the City of Miami Police Department, resulting in the successful apprehension of Zsolt Zsolyomi," Miami Beach police Chief Wayne Jones said in a press release shared on social media. "We remain committed to pursuing justice for the victim and his family."
"This fella is a really bad guy," Jones said in the press conference last week. "He is the epitome of evil. He hunts his prey. He’s patient with his prey, and then he kills them. There’s no doubt in my mind, had he not been caught, he would’ve done this again and again and again."
What you can do:
Authorities are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Zsolyomi or who has information related to similar cases to contact the Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (305) 603-6350.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Miami Beach Police Department on its social media pages, in a news conference and in official jail records.